Main menu

Post navigation

The 5% Club Case Study: Will Sharpe

This week, The 5% Club Case Study focus is on Will Sharpe, a placement student at Atkins Global. Read about Will’s daily role below:

Name: Will Sharpe

Division: Oil and Gas

Location: Epsom

What advice would you give to a student looking for a placement?

I found it really useful to know as much about the placement before I applied. This helped me understand what the ‘Year in Industry’ would involve, and how suited it was to my interests and career aspirations.

I believe this came across rather well in my interview, as I had a clear understanding of the role I was applying for and I could convey a natural passion. However, with regards to the interview, I would also recommend researching the local area and the additional facilities that the site can offer.

I had lived in the North of England all of my life, and with three of my siblings recently moving down to London I felt the urge to see what all the fuss what about. The interviewers already knew my academic skills from my CV so I wanted to make it clear that there were a vast number of reasons why I wanted to join Atkins in Epsom. The location, the lifestyle and the social community!

How is Atkins helping you develop towards your future career?

The placement I applied for was in the Oil and Gas sector, which is split into two six-month placements within the department. The first six months I was working with the Process Simulation team followed by six months working with the Safety Analysis team.

This was very appealing to me as after a somewhat ambiguous three years studying Chemical Engineering I was still unclear of an area I wanted to concentrate on.

This way I obtain twice as much experience in various fields widening my breadth of knowledge towards possible future career paths.

On my first day at Atkins I was introduced to the online training system that they have in place. This amazed me instantly as there is a large catalogue of online tutorials and tests that can be completed at your own leisure. In particular the computer software courses – these will be useful skills to have throughout the whole of my career.

However, it is my colleagues around me that are proving the most helpful. Immediately I was made aware of the relaxed and social atmosphere at Atkins, where any questions you may have can be answered by a quick email, chat or phone call.